Pansey boy charged in child molestation denied bond reduction

A judge denied a bond reduction request for a Pansey boy charged with sexually molesting a 4-year-old girl.

After District Court Judge John Steensland listened to nearly an hour of testimony and arguments from lawyers, he decided against a bond reduction on the first-degree sodomy charge filed against Ian Seth Hubbard.

Houston County Sheriff’s investigators arrested Hubbard last Thursday, several hours after the sexual assault was reported. Hubbard will remain held at the Houston County Jail on a $100,000 bond. If convicted, Hubbard faces 10 to 99 years or life in prison for the class A felony, which carries the same punishment as murder.

“The court finds this family has no idea what this young man might do,” Steensland said.

Terry Bullard, Hubbard’s defense lawyer, asked the court to set a $10,000 bond for his client. He argued to the court that his client was not a flight risk because he had lots of family in the community, and had no prior criminal record.

“A $100,000 bond is the equivalent to no bond,” Bullard argued. “He’s only 16 years old and he’s in general population. We just need to get him out.”

Houston County District Attorney Doug Valeska argued to the court that Hubbard had a prior juvenile theft of property conviction. Hubbard admitted the allegations to investigators in the case. He also said if convicted, Hubbard would serve every day of his sentence without the opportunity for parole because of the victim’s young age.

“He’d quit school. He’s a poor risk for bond,” Valeska argued. “It’s the worst crime we have besides murder.”